page_title: Renaissance Community
section_title: The Aftermath: 1988–2003
hierarchical_section_title: Renaissance Community / The Aftermath: 1988–2003
caption_attribution_description: English: Reunion of members of the Renaissance Community: June 2002
context_page_description: The Brotherhood of the Spirit was one of the largest and most enduring communes in the northeast United States and as such was a distinct link between the commune phenomenon of the 1960s and the current New Age movement. In existence from 1968 through 1988, its rise and fall mirrored that of its charismatic and mercurial leader, Michael "Rapunzel" Metelica. The Brotherhood of the Spirit underwent several distinct identity changes during its 20-year history.
context_section_description: In 1988, the Renaissance Community as a recognizable communal entity came to an end.  The Gill property was cleaned up and cooperatively managed. The various houses were sold off to private ownership and the Olde Stone Lodge house was renovated into separate apartments. Several successful contracting businesses based in Gill still exist, along with regular seminars dealing with meditation and spiritual practice. Former and current members attend reunions and discuss the community's controversial legacy. Former members have gone on to become teachers, artists, health-care providers, millionaire executives, and at least one ordained Buddhist monk. In May 2006, former member Bruce Geisler produced a documentary film about the community entitled Free Spirits: The Birth, Life and Loss of a New Age Dream.
  Michael Metelica lived out the remainder of his life in the Hudson River valley in upstate New York. There he was licensed as an EMT, attended AA to treat his addictions, and entered therapy for bipolar disorder. He was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in May 2002. The following month a gathering in his honor occurred at the home of his long-time friend and mentor, Beth St. Clair, and was attended by his children, and about 100 of his former followers. He died in February 2003 in Cairo, NY.
caption: Reunion, 2002.
exif: {"Image Make": "Nikon", "Image Model": "Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 5000 ED", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2010:04:09 14:02:20", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "236", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "410", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9589", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2100", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1385"}